Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. Examines Mask Defect Inspection Cost

Image Qualification Versus Direct Mask Inspection: And the Winner Is

PLEASANTON, CA--(Marketwire - September 25, 2007) - Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. (WWK), a cost
& productivity management software and consulting services company,
announced today that it has published a report examining the cost
structures of competing, on-going, mask defect inspection strategies for
193nm scanners operating at the 65nm node. The report addresses litho cell
availability, inspection costs, opportunity costs, and mask costs. The
report shows when each strategy is more cost effective. The report can
also be customized for specific assumption sets and the data can be
provided in TWO COOL® format. TWO COOL® is the semiconductor
industry's de facto standard for cost of ownership (COO) and overall
equipment efficiency (OEE) modeling.

"With the cost of litho clusters well in excess of $20 million, it is
critical that these bottleneck tools be highly utilized," states David
Jimenez, President of WWK. "Inspection strategies dramatically impact
equipment utilization and capital productivity. However, with masks having
the potential to cost in excess of $100,000 each, it is also important to
understand when your inspection strategy will require back up mask sets and
how those decisions ultimately impact the bottom line."

For more information regarding the purchase of this report or customization
options, including cycle time and work-in-process (WIP) impacts, contact
WWK directly at 925-399-6246 or at info@wwk.com.

With more than 3,000 users worldwide, Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. is the
largest privately held operational cost management software and consulting
company serving technology-dependent and technology-driven organizations.
WWK maintains long-term relationships with prominent industry resources
including SEMATECH, SELETE, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials
International (SEMI), and national labs and universities. Its client base
includes nearly all of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers and equipment
and materials suppliers as well as leaders in nanotechnology,
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), thin film record heads, magnetic
media, flat panel displays, and solar panels.